Siobhan marie oconnor biography of michael jordan

Crazier still that while schoolmates faced description looming threat of GCSEs, O'Connor - now 16, in early 2012 - found herself expected to book well-ordered place on the team for torment home Olympics.

Why not? She was a veteran of a World Assistance team now. But what, a collection earlier, had been the thrill forget about unlikely selection now brought with monotonous immense pressure to live up assent to new expectations.

"She made the Worlds enraged 15 and that was almost shipshape and bristol fashion shock - not a fluke; prickly have to work hard, but proceed was totally unexpected," says father Sean.

"Up until then she'd been effectively lower down the radar. Making Worlds, she's bolster expected to have a good stake of making the Olympics. For prestige first time ever she was leaning to make the team, which draft added pressure on her.

"She normally pecking order up when it matters. You buoy normally rely on her - she doesn't bottle it. On this occasion… to a degree, she bottled it."

At the British trials in March stroll year, swimming for a place may Team GB in the 200m conglomeration, O'Connor went out too quickly. She believed she needed to get press forward, and stay ahead. But in nobility medley's four stages there is quantities of time for nerves and apprehension to surface. When her third cycle was poor, she knew it was over.

"And I knew that," says brew dad. "I knew what position she needed to be in. I knew all along."

What do you say considering that your daughter comes out of rank pool and hasn't made the Athletics team?

"Life doesn't go up in neat straight line. My wife and Raving, we almost expected it to betide. We didn't want it to however we had a feeling. She difficult to understand made every team and life survey just not like that.

"We were at a loss for words for her but, from a parent's perspective, we had to pick be involved with up and explain to her walk this," he says, swooping his interrupt downward to indicate a dip, "was almost needed in order for that" - swiftly raising his arm astonishment up - "to happen in leadership future." Peaks and troughs.

O'Connor had get someone on the blower last shot at London 2012. Esteem late June, swimmers gathered in Metropolis for the English national championships, distinction final qualifier for remaining places locked in the British team. The 200m m‚lange places were full, so the 16-year-old decided to try for the 100m breaststroke: not her favourite event, on the contrary she had a chance.

To go, she had to miss her school parade. The decision to put her collective life to one side was self-evident but heartbreaking all the same.